Vermillion
by kendraleaanne
Summary: Club Vermillion was so much more than the young heiress thought thanks to her new pink-haired housemate and his insane sleeping habits, but when Natsu goes missing one day, Lucy sets out to find him. Even if that means working with her civil at the best of times guildmate, Cobra. Modern Day AU, CoLu endgame, Slow-burn, Romance/Humor/Angst?/Drama?


~EXCITING NEWS Y'ALL! If you follow Dragon Incidents, I'm in the zone and I'm feeling the next chapter. I should be editing by tomorrow which means and update is coming. It. Is. Coming, my loves!

But until then, have this little gem I'll be updating whenever the mood strikes.~

* * *

When Lucy posted her ad for a roommate in her favorite little coffee shop years ago, she certainly wasn't expecting a guy like Natsu to show up at the interview. A pink-headed, sandal-wearing goofball with the most mouthy Russian Blue she's ever come in contact with named Happy.

Their first year was tumultuous at best. He was gone most of the night and morning and she went to classes in the morning and her job in the afternoon. When they both were within the space of their two bedroom one and a half bath little cottage on the outskirts of the city at the same time, one was always dead asleep so there was little to no communication aside from texts or passive aggressive notes left on the fridge.

It would have been a dream for the blonde if it wouldn't have been for the fact that whatever the hell he actually did while he was away made him so exhausted he always came straight to her bed instead of going up the steps to his and he put off enough body heat the first time it happened, she panicked thinking she was having feverish hallucinations of the toothy pinkette. Even that she could have dealt with but he was insanely handsy. And cuddly. And he talked in his sleep. And he drooled. Some nights, he managed to soak through the thick pink comforter.

He didn't really snore all that loud though so she guessed it wasn't as bad as it could be.

In order to try and fix the problem, they switched bedrooms. They waited a month before the two shared enough time together in the early evening to power through it and hefted her solid oak bed frame up the narrow steps of their home and into Natsu's abandoned room, cobwebs hung from the corners and a layer of dust blanketed the mess of a room from his lack of time spent there, so he could have the first floor bedroom and sleep in his own bed.

Flawless execution right? Nope.

He lasted three nights before Lucy, purposefully wide-awake, heard the familiar creak of their top step that betrayed his feather-light footsteps and gave his position away. She was expecting anger or annoyance to take hold her when she heard him whisper from her barely cracked door, "Uh, Luce? You awake?" but something at the root of his voice pulled at her heart and filled it with sympathy and an instinctual urge to comfort him.

So she rolled over and rubbed at her eyes, her voice tired but not from lack of sleep, "Yeah, I'm up."

Who knew those few simple words would start the snowball that changed her life so drastically.

They ended up laying back in her bed next to each other and letting everything out. Their pasts, their fears, their dreams. It started with Natsu. His nakama was in desperate need of work. So much so that the infallible fire in his eyes shrunk for a flash too long. Thinking practically, Lucy pressed for details on what types of skills they had so she could keep an eye out for anything that would suit his family. The heiress was not expecting to hear things like marksmanship, knife handling, grifting, lock 'smithing', hacking, swordsmanship, and _close_ _quarter_ _ **combat**_. This sent her into a panic attack of catatonic proportions and she thought it a most appropriate and fitting reaction. After the pinkette soothed her out of her hyperventilation and anxiety, he explained as best he could that though, yes, his nakama was technically not supposed to exist, they were still a 'sanctioned organization' and they didn't kill people. Often.

Which made her feel _loads_ better. All the way into the following week when he brought her to the near infamous club, Vermillion, to meet his nakama for herself.

Lucy fell in love instantly. She fell in love with the people, the camaraderie and stmosphere and the real dedication they each held to what they do which a pair of silver-haired sisters informed her that they helped people in any way they could and that was the simple truth of it when you boiled it down. It was within hours of being in the club that she met with Laxus Dreyer, newest CEO of the Fairy Tail empire who owned the building they were standing in and most of the downtown businesses as well. When she introduced herself, she noted the way his steely blue eyes widened just a hair before taking the seat across from the hulking man, the fabric of his pressed button down stretching tight over his muscles in every way possible that had even her eyes bugging a little.

When she finally found her voice again after getting over the initial shock of being in a room with Sorcerer magazine's number one eligible bachelor alone and asked what she could do to help, he gave her a cocky grin that made her second-guess the alone part of her previous statement before he asked about her childhood. A childhood she was forced out of when her mother died and her father needed her to fill the impossibly large shoes left in her wake. When she moved out of the massive Heartfilia Konzern and into her great-great-great grandmother's cottage, she got the first real taste of freedom since she was a young girl getting yelled at for putting runs in her stockings. The brown=eyed beauty didn't resent or regret having to step up for her father in any regards, though. She loved getting to spend her days with him; watching him while he worked and taking in as much of his genius as she could. And her father still was that same genius who needed someone there to remind him to eat lunch or head to his eleven thirty meeting. Who needed someone to look over the accounts and double check payroll for him. Who needed to let the staff know when they would be expecting company when he forgot to mention it. The only way she even convinced the man to let her live out here on her own was to train a brilliant woman, one downright brilliant Levy McGarden, to take that place while she was away.

Now that little woman could get things done. She was what Lucy liked to call an ace in the pocket. Not only did she always have a solution to every problem Lucy's ever given her, but she managed to pull things out of thin air in the most crucial moments sometimes. The young Heartfilia knew Levy was the one when she herself forgot to bring the copies of their newest venture headed by Lucy herself and Levy had packed the pages of the first book safely away before they left. Lucky Publishing would have been off to a rocky start if it hadn't been for the pixie of a woman. She had all the faith in the world in that blue-haired woman within the ranks of her family's company would flourish right alongside them. Not only had she been perfect for the assistant position, but she lived in-house and became more like a sister Lucy never had growing up.

By the time she finished up what she now realized was her whole life's story with rounding up the oversharing session with taking classes in Astronomy and Business Law while working at a branch of Sorcerer as an editor and occasional journalist.

She sucked in a breath before rushing out, her cheeks pink with embarrassment, "But yeah, that was my childhood, teenage years and up until right now with you. Laxus Dreyar. Most eligible bachelor and unfailing businessman. And me. Lucy Heartfilia. Known hermit and junior businesswoman at best."

"I need your connections, to be blunt." He was no nonsense, straight forward and intimidating with his scarred eye and steely gaze but she had faced down worse in her time as a woman learning the ropes in the predominantly male business world. His assertive tone brought out the stubborn intellect in her as she braced for what she perceived as negotiations.

"I'll need you to be more specific." Her voice was ice at odds with the warmth of her big doe eyes as she neatly crossed her legs at the ankle and stared into his daunting gaze with her own stoney expression.

"I'll need you to sign a release if you want specifics." His hands were steepled in front of his chest as his elbows rested on the arms of his sleek leather chair, voice and gaze unchanging in what she deemed as peacocking, which she's seen far too many times in offices and conference rooms alike to not see it for what it is; posturing in hopes of submission.

She gave him curt a nod of her head and started the fun events of the evening with a booklet-sized release to read through and it was literal hours later when she finally, after tweaking and questioning the document enough to warrant Laxus to bring in a stoic man with light green hair and beautiful bone structure that spoke of refined origins to rewrite the release to her liking.

Signing and initialling the paper where she needed to, the blonde was at odds within herself. She felt uncomfortable at a base level when she thought about her situation logically. Logically, this was some super secret government mafia bullshit. Logically, Natsu was her roommate and this was grounds to evict him. Logically, this was insane and Lucy had a migraine from making sure she wasn't signing away her soul or her first born child.

But Natsu wasn't _just_ her roommate. She hadn't had very many permanent people in her life and he had quickly become the center of her life outside her inherited responsibilities. A staple she would miss desperately if he left. So here she sat, in what that stack of papers called a guild, speaking with it's Master about how she could somehow give them a hand in what was already a multi-billion dollar company known globally.

xXxXxXxXxXx

That night was three years ago.

Now, she was the face of the Heartfilia Conglomerate, an empire built off three separate companies; Lucky Publishing, Love and Lucky Railways and Heartfilia Communications. She was also a very active member of the guild Fairy Tail in ways no one could have predicted.

She had invisible ties to everyone. Invisible ties that got the guild connections and opportunities they couldn't have dreamed of before. Her nakama affectionately referred to it as the Flood. As in, the flood of work and information they were getting from this one woman was of biblical proportions and it needed its own special day to commemorate.

Unfortunately, the only way she could get whoever it was Laxus was sending her in the wedding on this particular evening was to add herself a plus one in the guise of her date and since Laxus didn't actually tell her who he was sending, she was stuck standing outside the beautiful garden venue in a tea-length green Oscar de la Renta dress with her golden hair neatly piled on top of her head in a bun with a pair of vintage white pumps with a fluffy band of white feathers across her toes and a gold clasp around her ankles. Her lashes were big and her eyeliner made her the modern incarnate of 60s Twiggy. It was very mod chic and she had a reputation to uphold as boundary pusher at these events that she adore feeding into. She only hoped that whoever Laxus sent got the message that this was a black tie affair.

Rolling her eyes, she noticed an outstanding blue Happy hair sticking to her pristine vintage dress just in time to miss a tall, deeply tanned man with a scar cutting straight through his right eye walk directly passed her towards the back of the fenced in property.

She waited another fifteen minutes for her 'date' to show before letting out a sigh and making her way towards the main gate to attend the wedding by herself. She adored to ambiance weddings brought and couldn't wait to see what the daughter of one her favorite actor's could come up with. The lovely woman was getting high points already for the beautiful indoor/outdoor venue and the way the flowers filled your senses with Spring. It should be an easy night for her if the atmosphere stayed this relaxed.

The ceremony was beautiful and simple. Lucy cried like she knew she would.

When they were released back out into the reception area, the blonde made a beeline for a secluded table beneath one of the weeping cherry trees towards the back of the patio and away from the light coming from the strings of paper lanterns and called the man she was now ashamed to have had a crush on all those years ago.

She waited three rings before he finally picked up. "Blondie?" He sounded confused which always made Lucy narrow her eyes at no one in particular. Laxus had two settings; emotionless asshole and pissed off predator. When an emotion not previously listed comes into play, she tried her best to tread carefully.

"I'm calling to let you know my date ditched me and the ceremony just got out. I'll be making my way over to the groom's-"

"What are you talking about? He just checked in and said he already pulled the information from his phone."

She leaned back blinking. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable as she started scanning over the heads of people in the crowd in search for someone she recognized, the fact that she was on the phone falling to the background of her brain.

Laxus Dreyar was not a man who took being ignored well, however. "What the hell is up with you?"

Ignoring his question entirely, she hissed low into her phone, "Who did you send? I don't know anyone here."

Her guild's Master took in a casual breath before finally answering. "I don't think you've ever met him before."

"Well where is he now? Shouldn't we at least-"

"He left already." The finality of his words was stalling for her.

The blonde just sat there mulling over his words before giving a vague noise of understanding. After a renewing breath of air, she told Laxus to have a goodnight and be safe before hanging up.

She had just gotten ditched on a job.

Like completely sidestepped and kept from the whole process in every way. She spent her whole life making sure she was on top of things and keeping track of any and all what-ifs and maybe-that'll-help-later's and this stranger just swooped in right under her nose, did the work and then left. What if she hadn't called Laxus and she tried to pull the information only to have actually gotten sloppy seconds and wasting her time. Whoever her mystery asshole was, he was going to get an earful when she figured out who he was.

By the time she had gotten through she and Natsu's front door and finished cuddling with Happy in the middle of the living room floor still wearing her designer outfit, her pink-haired best friend came down the steps, one hand reaching behind his head as he scratched it aimlessly. "So you gotta little drunk at the wedding I see."

Lucy's arm went straight up to cheer for her accomplishment. "Woohoo! Go me! I-I've completed at least **one** of my missions…"

He just gave her a few chuckles in response before crossing the planks of worn wood to lay on his back next to her on their favorite plush rug.

Her drunken babbling suddenly turned serious when she sat up and turned shakily, her sense of balance long gone from her body, and throwing Happy from her chest with a sharp yowl from the cat. "Natsu. Natsu, listen to me, okay?"

"..." He waited patiently for his best friend to continue.

Her eyes narrowed as her grip on his shirt tightened and her nose was just barely touching the end of his. "...are you listening to me?"

His rich laughter answered her inquisition before he finally gave the frowning woman a nod of his head.

This was apparently all the affirmation she needed and launched into the events or odd lack thereof, of her evening. She made sure to put extra emphasis on the asshole who didn't even introduce himself. "Like how _rude_ could you _be_! I feel, like everyone else I've worked with has introduced themselves. Even Alzack and Bisca and they were literally just setting up a better sniping spot that happened to be close to me. They are really cute. I like them. I think they like each other"

"They're married, Luce."

The drunken wonder continued as if he hadn't interjected at al, "This was only a wedding! How did he even get in? Security was ridiculously tight. Like, too tight. I had to have my body searched which was weird because I've never gotten search before a wedding before."

Her companion gave a snort for a reply before adding playfully, "Are you sure they were doing that to everyone or just beautiful women from the past? Seriously, I am all for your fashion choices but this seems kind of tame even for you. A go-go girl? I expect better from you."

"Do not try to change the subject, sir. I need information on all your operatives."

"First off," he moved to lay on his side and prop his head of his palm so he could look at her with an air of seriousness the inebriated woman mimicked comically, "we are members of a guild, not operatives and secondly, you said you went to the actress's wedding?"

"Actress's daughter," she corrected.

Uncaring for the interruption, he beamed down at her.

It was honestly starting to sober her up and make her uncomfortable. "Why are you smiling at me like that? Natsu, why are you smiling at me like that?"

Turns out there was only one job on the board for this wedding stuff and Natsu just so happened to know that Cobra took that job. He didn't know it was one of Lucy's jobs or he would have taken it himself, but Cobra had returned back to the club only two hours after he left. That guy was the asshole that didn't introduce himself and Cobra would continue to be that asshole because that's just who he was. Natsu knew very little aside from that though which didn't go over well with his blonde beauty of a roommate.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The very next day, after waking up early the same way she does most every day, she called Laxus on her way to the open house to their business's joint project, a massive community center, to demand he get her time with their guildmate Cobra, not letting him alone until he agreed to it.

The relentless blonde got this time in the form of a two-day mission and the only way out to where this particularly remote snowy area was, was by train. Having grown up surrounded by railways and train cars, she was right at home in their shared little sleeper cabin. While bigger than most common rooms, it was still cramped at best but for a slight woman like herself, she didn't mind as she got her bed read, humming under breath as she worked.

She had gotten there before her Fairy Tail partner and saw no harm in making her way up to the food car to get a table and grab something to eat to fill her stomach before they departed from the station and all she'll want to do is sleep.

It was when she opened her cabin door, sandwich in one hand, key in the other as she tried to not spill her hot chocolate down the front of her white thermal shirt, that she took in the completely relaxed and completely foreign frame of a deeply tanned man wrapped in delectably lithe muscle laying across her bed.

His deep drawl sent shivers down her spine in waves and it made her knees weak. "Ah, so the prodigal light of Fairy Tail lives and breathes." His eyes never opened or turned towards her as he gave her a devilish smirk that almost made her fidget from the serious heebies she caught from her partner.

She floundered, trying to release the door from her grasp, balance the scalding drink with her chest and not drop her sandwich all while not taking her wide eyes off him. He really was a specimen for the books with the dark skin, dark burgundy hair and casual demeanor.

His eye popped open to reveal the bright violet of them and Lucy was sure she let out a little silent gasp at the piercing brilliance of it, his voice drawn and sarcastic as he watched her, "But she doesn't speak. What a pity."

Her spine straightened, finally confident in the steadiness of her voice, and glared daggers at the still smiling man. "I wasn't exactly given a very good description so you'll have to excuse my shock. You've made sure we never meet." She hadn't been given any description at all save Natsu telling her unhelpfully that he really liked trench coats and had a scar. Where was the scar you might ask? She didn't know. Natsu didn't tell her.

"I'm not surprised if you asked that flaming idiot of a roommate you have."

She rolled her eyes before biting out so coldly, she swore her breath puffed as she spat, "Hello, I'm Lucy Heartfilia and it's been nice meeting you, Cobra. I'll be sure to wake you when we arrive so we can finish the job _together._ "

She could feel his gaze on her body as she put her sandwich on the top bunk to crawl up there herself and she would never admit it, but it made her body flush with embarrassment and something much darker. As soon as she was settled on the top bunk, she called down to her silent partner below, "Can I have my pillow back at least."

"No."

"No?"

"I like it." Her brow ticked. She could hear him fluffing the soft plush of her pillow from below her as he spoke.

Leaning up on her elbows, she answered hotly, "Get your own then."

"Already do, Tink, but thanks for the concern."

"No," her patience was wearing thin as she leaned over the edge to see his smug face, her hair falling below in ways that had Cobra chuckling for the similarities between Lucy and Rapunzel, "you have mine. What is your problem, dude?"

In an instant, her face was getting pelted by the familiar fluff of her pillow as he scoffed out below, "Some light of Fairy Tail you are."

Lucy decided the best way to handle her problem was to ignore it completely. Ignore the handsome man three feet below her, ignore the churning in her core and definitely ignore the urge to keep said handsome man talking. That would have been easier if it weren't for the fact her pillow had a faintly sweet almond scent to it that had her in a dizzying loop of thought about the man below her.

xXxXxXxXxXx

She had crawled down from her bunk to start bundling up for the below freezing temperatures that were about to greet them when the train jerked and she fell backwards, just barely missing the frame of her bunk with the back of her head as she went down on a pathway that was sure to collide with Cobra's sleeping figure.

To say the maroon-haired man beneath her was taken by surprise by the sudden person in his space, would be a gross understatement on many levels. First and most obvious, the addition of one very curvy and soft edged blonde to his single person cot was an unexpected but not entirely unwanted occurrence. The thing that was most shocking to him was the fact that her quiet absent humming had managed to put him to sleep in the first place. He always got the worst of his motion sickness on trains and that usually kept him in a very awake state of constant twisting and turning in his gut. This was his first time falling asleep on a train ever and his first response when waking in a strange place by an unknown body was to panic.

By the time the pair stopped tumbling around the tiny cabin, the grunts and groans of the two making the staff walking by the room roll their eyes, they had flipped positions and Cobra was laying on top of Lucy, her back to his chest and her chest smashed into the cold, scratchy carpet. This was a bit of a problem for the little blonde so without another thought, she elbowed the jumpy man off her and tried to refrain from kicking him when an opportunity for a freeshot to his ribs opened up. "Jesus, could you have been anymore dramatic?"

"Me?" The incredulity engrained deeply in his voice did not go unnoticed. "You just molested me in my sleep."

"What?! I lost balance and accidentally fell you asshole! I wouldn't molest _you_!" His brow rose and his lips split in what Lucy was sure to be a snide remark and shut him down quickly, "I wouldn't molest _anyone_!"

He was already getting up, smirk firmly in place when he finally stood to his full height. He had a few solid inches on her and crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at her. In the tight space of the train car, they were practically chest to chest anyway and it made her feel like she had suddenly become prey in a game of chase she hadn't signed up for. It made her feel small and cornered but feminine and safe. Ultimately, she didn't know what exactly she felt about that but there were definite feelings involved, good or bad still to be determined.

Unwilling to give, Lucy blew the errant strands of her silky golden hair out of her face before turning around and ignoring his presence entirely to put on the rest of her layers before they arrived. Unknown to her, she had made herself the root of his fascination and he was curious to test her.

xXxXxXxXx

A younger man in an entirely outdated style of suit greeted the pair at the door with bright enthusiasm burning in his gaze. His voice was far too animated for the male half of the team's liking by the way his scarred eye twitched slightly as their reason for coming to the remote mountain gushed to the pair endlessly while walking them towards one of the many conference rooms at the ski resort, "It's so nice to finally meet with you Miss Heartfilia. It's been an eye opening experience to get to shadow your Levy around your company. I think becoming partners would be to the benefit of all parties involved but mostly myself."

Lucy had to elbow Cobra in his ribs to keep his incredulous scoff from being detected by their host before catching his attention, "That must mean you are Mister Fujioshi. It really is a privilege to get to meet with you here and in person. You're a hard man to pin down."

The flirtatious tone of her words was caught by both men to earn wildly different reactions. The intended target blushed like a school boy and almost stuttered through his response while her unintended target rolled his eye so hard, she was sure she would see the purple glint of it still rolling down the mountain on their way back. "Oh, uh...yes. I spend most of my days in meetings or traveling so...getting time is difficult, but it was no trouble finding some for you."

Casually bumping his elbow as they walked, she continued to banter naturally with the executive, "You have my thanks for that. I would imagine with this huge takeover happening, you rarely have time for anything save , where are my manners? Mister Fujioshi, I would like for you meet my associate and close family friend, Mister Elapidae. He is a brilliant man and an avid lover of the slopes."

As if on cue, the tawny haired executive turned all attention to her deeply scowling partner. His face remaining unchanged as they entered an elevator and the annoying chirp of the shorter man's voice grew more and more pronounced. "Is that so? Well you've come to the right place then. All the slopes are technically still open during the renovation but I'll warn you now, there are very sporadic patrols in place since we don't have any guests. Once this meeting is out of the way, I'll take you down one of my favorite runs. Are you a skier or a boarder?"

As if answering pained him, he gritted out in the vague direction of the man, "I ski."

Either he was the most blindly happy man on the face of the planet or he was just genuinely unconcerned with Cobra's obvious discomfort with being conversed with as he gave a light clap to the maroon-haired man's shoulder. "Ah, I had you pegged for a boarder, Mister Elapidae. I'm usually a pretty good judge of character."

"I find that hard to believe." The icy chill to his words had little effect on the bright businessman, however, the blonde on the other side of the confined space seemed to be having some sort of coughing fit that looked suspiciously like someone trying to choke down wildly inappropriate laughter.

Finding it prudent to not piss off the very person she was here to do actual business with, she cut off their conversation and redirected it before her partner could say something to ruin her deal with the resort owner. "You mentioned wanting to work on a new tram system as well, is that correct?"

When the pleasant ding of the elevator sounded and they were lead to a beautiful conference room that had picturesque views of the mountains through grand picture windows in the mid-morning light. Lucy had to take a moment to take in the serenity of the scene, totally enraptured by the fairy tale-like atmosphere this place held. She genuinely hoped this meeting went well because she could see herself coming back to this place on holiday or maybe for her companies retreat.

A polite cough cut off her daydreaming. "If you want to, your lovely assistant brought your things up to your room. It's just down the hall from here, suite 88, if you wanted to prepare before our meeting.I would say it's out of hospitality but unfortunately, I have a quick call to make in my office before we start but I should be quick if all goes well."

She was about to nod in agreement when one word stuck out in her brain. Room. As in singular. That wouldn't do. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to keep you waiting but did you have another room available for my colleague?"

Fujioshi's brows furrowed in thought for a moment before offering apologetically, "I'm not sure which rooms are being worked on right now but I'll ask one of my contractors on the way. Hopefully there will be one available adjacent to yours. If you'll excuse me, I apologize again for my sudden departure."

She granted him a warm smile before speaking melodically, "No need to Mister Fujioshi, I've been there. We'll be here when you return and thank you again for this opportunity."

His own seemingly unwavering smile greeted her in return before he dashed off back out the door and down the hall.

Lucy eyed her partner from across the length of the table for a moment. Waiting to give him the chance to say something if he wanted to, or to leave if he wanted to but neither happened so she gave a quiet, "whatever," and left to go find her room so she could change out of her now superfluous layers in the warmth of the beautiful ski resort.

xXxXxXxXx

When the blonde beauty returned to the room with a view to die for, she was wearing a fitted dark blue trouser suit with wide legs and a perfectly tailored blazer. Her crisp button down was tastefully undone enough to show just a hint of skin below her collarbone and her sleeves were already pushed up to the elbows. The sharp click of her heels on the hardwood floor forced Cobra to lift his head from where he had leaned back in one of many overly plush office chairs with his feet on the table.

If Cobra had a type, which he didn't, but if he did have a type, it certainly wouldn't be Miss Lucy Heartfilia; blonde bombshell, business magnate and well-known philanthropist with her never-ending pool of sharp wit and heart of gold. He spent most of his time with the woman reminding himself of that fact. The way her silky strands fell away from her toned shoulders to reveal the creamy skin of her neck as she organized an impressive portfolio of papers, designs and blank notebooks wasn't doing anything to his brain capabilities. No, definitely not affecting him in the least. She might not have known who he was but he knew her. He knew her too well for his own liking.

His first impression of the blonde was harsh. He had been paired with Pinky on a stakeout job and the pyro would not stop talking about her. His disdain for her male roommate rolled over and made his view of her skew into some helpless princess. A damsel type.

His second impression of the blonde wasn't any better. She was standing outside the perfect wedding dressed as some high society Tinkerbell with wide naive eyes and a chest three times bigger than her brain and added airheaded heiress to her list of describers. He wasn't impressed in the least.

This combined made his whole view of the woman as such: big boobed bimbo descended from daddy's money and a total waste of space and oxygen.

It wasn't until he started listening in on her chats with the Master that he realized that not only did she have a brain of her own, but she was a force of nature. Wild, unstoppable and completely unique unto herself. In other words, Cobra had an unquenchable fascination with this woman. A quiet, unquenchable fascination. One he was determined to keep to himself as long as possible.

"Are you even listening to me? You don't have to stay here for this meeting. It's going to be pretty boring actually. Virgo brought your things up to the room too and I brought the extra key to the suite so you could have it. Or, just hear me out, or you could go exploring, maybe find a nice abandoned elevator shaft on the top floor to fall down." The sweet smile she flashed him bristled him from the bottom up in a roll of shivers he was not fond of on the basic level that his body reacted to her even when his brain told it not it. This was the exact reason he did not want to come on this job. He was basically cover. Eyes and ears for the guild and backup to Miss Heartfilia. He was S-Class and a chemicals expert. This was decidedly not his domain.

"I'd save the tallest one for you, Tink."

Her deep chocolate pools rolled automatically before answering with false sweetness, her hand on her chest in mock sincerity, "Aww, just for me? Honestly, you shouldn't have."

The deep drawl of his voice was even and smooth, "What can I say, I'm a romantic at heart."

"Heart? What heart? It's a proven fact that you're kept alive through petty jabs and solitude. No need for a heart."

"Life would be everlasting if I could sustain myself on picking people apart at the seams and being alone. Don't think I'd like immortality much, I've always been curious about what hell's like."

"You don't have to be modest. I already know about your regular booty call down to the flaming depths. Satan always just gushes about you when we meet for lunch, you naughty boy you."

Before he could continue their back and forth, Mister Fujioshi returned, his personality blinding the one good eye he had left. "I hope I haven't been keeping you waiting for long. It seems the ladies on staff had a talk with your assistant and Mister Elapidae's things have been moved to suite 87, right across the hall from yours so I hope that suits you."

Cobra left the room without another word but with a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. He found himself enjoying their repartee far too much for his own liking.

xXxXxXxXx

It had been a few months since that job and the two only saw each other in passing on the rare days they were both in Vermillion at the same time and each time, they greeted the other with harsh words and sharp retorts before going their separate ways.

Lucy had asked Laxus for details on Cobra's background but he refused to hand them over. She wasn't exactly surprised by this and settled on reading through the maroon-headed member's mission reports which were both tedious and incredibly well-written. She knew for a fact that Master Dreyar did not have that even of handwriting and quickly fell in love with the easy, slightly slanted ink lines. Not only was this man efficient and effective, but seemingly infallible as well. Every single report was concise and the job itself always done in almost unnatural speeds with the most ideal outcome. He was frighteningly good at what he did.

The people of Fairy Tail and the Heartfilia Conglomerate had all settled in a kind of lull after a while. Steady work to be done, businesses to run and deadlines to meet plenty between the two powerhouses.

Lucy had been particularly busy in the passed few weeks and hadn't been home in a few days. She desperately wanted to chill out in the living room and have a Tolkien marathon with her overly enthusiastic roommate but when she walked to the front door of their home, it was just barely ajar and the handle had been about ripped from solid wood.

She should have called the police right then but instead, her fear won out and she called to her best friend in hopes that he was all right, "Natsu? Natsu, are you in here?" Her voice dropped to a rushed hush as she frantically searched the rooms, "Gods, I don't know if it would be better or worse to find you here…"

After searching the house top to bottom, calling his phone about hundred times and leaving as many voicemails as his machine would allow and sending a barrage of texts, she decided it would have been better to find him here. Everything would be better if he were here now.

It wasn't until later that night that she realized she had been sitting in the middle of their trashed living room clutching Natsu's favorite white scarf he never went anywhere without for hours when her phone rang, jostling both her and Happy from his spot nuzzled into her chest. In a hurried panic in hopes it was her pinkette friend calling, she didn't even look at the name that came up before answering, "Hello? Natsu? Natsu, is that you?"

"No, this is Laxus. What's going on, Blondie? Natsu didn't come in yesterday or today. I tried to get a hold of you yesterday. Both your underlings said they would let you know when they saw you."

"Laxus! Laxus, I need you here. You should be here. Someone...someone broke into the house and...I-I don't know where Natsu is but the whole place is trashed. Natsu's gone. He wouldn't just...leave. He wouldn't just leave me, Laxus." The hysterical nature of her impassioned words was enough to put even someone as level-headed as Laxus Dreyar off kilter.

Laxus' tone turned icy, all business as he ordered the people around him in a flurry of sharp barks before softening just a fraction, "Listen to me, I need you to stay there, Lucy. Bickslow is close. He'll be there with you within minutes. Okay? Do you understand?"

She gave a shaky nod of her head before realizing he couldn't see her. Her voice was watery and broken but the base was like steel, solid and standing, "His scarf is here."

Even the eternally busy Master of Fairy Tail knew how much Natsu's scarf meant to him. The kid never took it off. "We'll find him. Lucy, we never leave anyone behind."

His words and steady breathing were like a beacon for the blonde's overwhelmed senses. She had already been mentally and physically drained before the adrenaline of the break-in kicked in and now that it was fading fast, so was she.

"...I need you to keep talking to me until Bix gets there."

Lucy was tired but coherent so she started telling him the story of her favorite aunt teaching her how to swim. She was horrible at it and her aunt Aquarius was not a patient or gentle woman but she was there when her mother couldn't be.

It felt like she sat cradled in the pieces of her life, clutching his scarf and Happy like lifelines for ages. Talking about things she hadn't dredged up in a decade at least before the familiar towering tri-hawk silhouette came into view and the edge of her vision started to blur. "Bixy...you're just in time."

She vaguely remembered Bickslow's lilting voice talking to Laxus through her phone as his impossibly large hands rubbed her shoulders to get warmth back in them. "It's bad, Boss. This...is something more than a robbery. They were looking for something."

The last thing she could make out before she passed out was the lopsided grin of one of her favorite beings in Fairy Tail. He always, without fail, made her stomach hurt from laughter and her cheeks grew sore from her uninhibited smiles caused by his playful presence and thoughtful company. At least she would sleep with a warm feeling deep in chest. She would just hold onto that until she woke.

Maybe Natsu would be home by then.

She always worried when he was late for dinner.

xXxXxXx

Lucy's brows wrinkled as the soft white blanket she had been very happily wrapped in suddenly lifted from her body and she felt...frail. Empty. Like she was made of the finest glass and a grain of salt could shatter her to pieces. Then she realized there was something lodged down her throat and she panicked, pulling at the foreign object without thought.

"Miss! Miss, I can get it out if you- Miss!" The wiry nurse that had heard the commotion was having trouble fighting off Lucy's mindless flailing before a decidedly larger and firmer hand held her down with a touch that was steel but not unkind as the nurse made quick work of removing the breathing tube. The poor nurses weathered eyes were searching hers for permission as she approached again. Lucy had yet to look at her helpful 'friend' as she eyed the strange woman before giving a slight nod of her head, her eyes never leaving the woman as she worked.

After a few minutes of silence while the older woman checked over her charts, she started explaining what was going on. Her voice was practiced and soft as she took her vitals. The fragile looking blonde was half listening as she looked down at her hands. Her thoughts a jumbled mash-up after being unconscious. _Pale_. Coma. _Dry_. Nearly two months. _Cracked._ Brain damage. Her nails were impeccable but she could have swore the last time she got them done, they weren't maroon and black. "How long?" Her voice was foreign and cold like much of the place surrounding her but she was confused, almost painfully so as she tried to remember.

It was then the nurse looked to the constant source of heat mere inches from her persons as if asking to leave but not wanting to do so until he deemed it okay. He must have given her what she was looking for as she left the room to find her doctor, leaving the room uncomfortable and quiet.

In the brief lull of medical machines and mind-numbing beeping, she closed her eyes again. The light was too much and she felt like at any given moment, she would up and blow away like ash in the wind. She would almost prefer it at this point.

Ash.

 _Ash?_

She sat up too abruptly at the connections her brain was making much too fast for her to handle one at a time in a way that had her countless tubes and IVs pulling and her head swimming. _Natsu. I have to find Natsu. He was gone. The house was a wreck. Did she say two months? Is he back? How could I have let so much time pass?_

"I really think you should sit back and let the doctor do his job before you start your hysterics."

Her jaw clenched at the lazy tone crowing from next to her. "Hysterics?!" The tone was a very distinct mixture of incredulity and accusation that even Cobra was impressed with after she had only been awake for minutes.

Finally turning her head to take in the figure of the man she exchanged daily barbs with, her first thought was why in the blue blazes Cobra was here at her bedside and not literally any other member of their guild considering he did not like her. He's made that very clear in the past. Her second and all following thoughts were on her pinkette best friend.

He patted her hand in a condescending, sarcastic manner that had her blood boiling in ways that surely weren't healthy for a woman of her health status right now. "Now Tink, you wouldn't want these fine medical professionals to have any cause to keep you longer than you've already been laying down on the job." He wasn't looking at her but she could tell he was trying to calm her down by the measured, even tone of his voice.

No, that wasn't right. He did not comfort or cuddle and he didn't care about her feelings. She wasn't bitter about it, just pointing out concrete character traits the solitary man had and being a comfort wasn't one of them. He had said she was sleeping on the job. What an odd thing to say, even for the usually hostile man.

"Ah, Mrs. Heartfilia-"

She wasted no time interrupting the doctor to correct him. "Miss."

The older doctor gave pause before his smile faltered for a moment to check her papers again. "My apologies, Miss Heartfilia. I am just here to give you the official go ahead." He went through nearly the same steps as the nurse had just done as he spoke with her, an easy smile on his lips, "It's not very often I get so many visitors down here in my ward and you have brightened more lives than you can know with the regular cheery bustle from your friends and family."

His hands were cold and she wanted desperately to get out of this place. It smelled too clean. Too pristine. Unnaturally so and it gave her the creeps. Hospitals always did.

"Hopefully by the time you have to come back to visit, it'll be to christen the new wing in your family's honor."

Lucy has absolutely no idea what this man was saying and she had no desire to hear his words any longer. Her head hurt and she wanted to go someplace warm and familiar. She wanted to go home and curl up in her bed with Natsu and Happy and sleep. Yes, sleep sounded good.

She must have been slumping forward pretty hard to have Cobra feel the need to pinch her, yes _pinch her_ , to keep her upright. Not that she didn't want to leave herself, but what difference would it make to him whether or not she got released?

The job. The job that she and...he were on? That didn't seem right. She heard him specifically ask Laxus to never put them on a mission together again.

When she looked back up into the doctor's patiently waiting eyes, she realized he was waiting for her to answer something. She was fighting to keep her heart rate even under his careful scrutiny.

Thankfully, she didn't need to answer since Cobra had thankfully been paying attention. "She will be released into my care. Both Spa- Mr Dreyar and Mrs Redfox have already seen that she does without problem."

She was staring into her lap in confusion. This was all starting to cause white hot flashes behind her eyelids.

XxXxXxXxX

They had been trapped in the back of one of Fairy Tail's cars for hours. Silent, awkward hours and Lucy was tired of it. She wanted answers.

"Cobra." Her voice was starting to sound familiar to her. Like getting reacquainted to an old book you read in your youth. Regardless, it garnered the attention of it's target in the form of a barely discernible grunt of acknowledgment.

With a roll of her eyes, she continued, uncaring if he wanted the conversation or not. "What in the actual goddamn fuck is going on? Why hasn't Levy called or Laxus? Is my father okay? Who has been in charge of my company? And you'll be wise to start your explanation off with any and all information pertaining to Natsu." Her anger diminished almost instantly as his name left her chapped lips and was replaced with an emotion Cobra would only describe as anguish. It made him want to physically squirm to hear the way her voice broke softly when she whispered his name.

In a smooth motion, he turned his head to face her. Deceptively beautiful bright amethyst eye meeting her drowning doe eyes. His voice was quiet and respectful, enough of a leap from his usual demeanor that had her thoughts on the worst. "We've...had contact with the men that took him. He is alive. He has his health and we are working to get him back. It's proven to be a delicate situation in need of a deft, light hand."

She was frozen and cold like the season she woke right in the dead of. Staring into the black leather that stretched over the headrest in front of her as if somewhere in the tiny valleys and dips, she would find her answers. The silence was daunting as snow fell from the sky in heavy fat flakes. Cobra had never wanted to be the one to tell her any of this. He was the least qualified person on the face of the planet to deliver bad news, especially to someone like her.

She couldn't help the little intake of breath when she felt a tentative weight on her thigh. Looking down to see his hand palm up as a peace offering and a piece of comfort she was in no way willing to pass up. Her eyes lingered over the scars that dotted his skin before taking his hand in both of hers to cradle it closer to her body.

They stayed like that for a while. Lucy latching on to the only real, tangible proof that she wasn't alone and Cobra staring out at the passing landscape trying to rein in his asinine need to make her feel better. It was growing harder to do the longer she traced aimless patterns over the back of his hand with the pads of her fingers and her thumb rubbing over his knuckles in gentle swipes. He had to stifle his natural urge to laugh at the ridiculous situation. Even now, trapped in the back of a car on it's way to a yet unknown place after being in a coma for two months from trauma acquired when she walked into her home to find it utterly trashed and her best friend gone with a man he would hardly classify as her friend and here she was reassuring him with her reassuring touch.

Her voice was far away and when he turned to look at her, he was struck by how utterly ethereal she looked in that moment. Like a ghost from the past, out of time and out of the warm glow that usually emanated from her very core. It was far into the hours of the night as the moon's rays washed over the alabaster skin of her face and she looked up into the inky black of the sky. Her golden hair was washed out and much of it came loose from her hasty braid to frame the dainty features of her face now marred by the aftereffects of her hospital stay. Yet her lips were pulled into a smile. A small, tired sort of smile but a smile nonetheless. "I love the stars. They are seemingly infinitesimal but in actuality, it's us that are fleeting in their lifetimes. Just because we don't see their end, doesn't mean they don't have one but my mother, she would tell me their stories. Speak as if they were her friends and it brings me comfort to know that I can look up and they'll be there. Shining like they always do. Untouched by the troubles far below." Her grip tightened on his hand but her eyes never turned away from the window. "Thank you. For being here."

He fought the compulsion to point out that he had no other choice but to be here with her but swallowed it for the remainder of the ride. She seemed content with their quiet so he turned his attention to her beloved stars and prayed that she would still want him here when they actually arrived.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

They were working on three weeks. Three weeks since Lucy found out that the group, the guild, that took Natsu was his old stomping ground. Years had passed since he put more than a disgusted grunt of acknowledgment at the mention of Oracion Seis but the only way she would agree to staying in the middle of nowhere with him was if she got to read his dossier.

He fought it knowing it would be better for her to be naturally distrusting of his presence than to outright hate him for his past, his childhood really, but Laxus insisted it was the only way to get her to stay out of the mess.

Bickslow and Gray had stayed for the first week after they had arrived to the little hunting cabin but they needed to get down the mountain before they were stuck up there for good with the way snowstorms blew in and that meant he and the woman were alone in a quaint one bedroom cabin for at least another month. Natsu drama or not, he wasn't going to let her give him the silent treatment as if they were children on a playground instead of grown adults for the seeable future.

She was humming to herself in the kitchen as she did most days here, baking something sweet by the smells wafting from the wood stove when he stood an arms length behind her and about gave her a heart attack when he finally spoke up, "As much as I love the dynamic of the household, I'm going to need you to stop behaving like a child."

Staring into his unreadable face was frustrating to say the least when her's was so readily understood by any who paid close enough attention. Right now, he could see the clear lines of surprise that were co mingling with the tick of anger over her eye. He had to admit, she was dedicated to her perceived punishment for him.

He continued, unperturbed. "I was a child when I left Oracion Seis and while I often would remind Fire Fingers of my not so secret dislike for him as a person, he is still my guildmate. You're angry. Don't think I don't know what that feels like but fuck you if you think I am going to be your punching bag because you were locked away in an ivory tower against your will. In case you forgot, I am also locked away, princess."

The venom of his words was barely contained even though his jaw was clenched so tightly she was sure she heard his teeth cracking. Erik 'Cobra' Elapidae was a former member of the guild that killed her mother. He was a part of that monstrosity of a guild while her mother laid in bed and waited for the effects of her mystery illness to take what little life she had left. What no one had told her was that they knew it wasn't some freak disease, it was poison. It was purposeful and it was painful. Poison happened to be one of those things Cobra was annoyingly deft with. An expert in the arts as well as having a proficiency for chemistry. Lucy couldn't help but make conclusions too fast in the emotional state she had been in but that was weeks ago now. Weeks they've been here and she hasn't said more than passing, hissed insults to him.

What was wrong with her?

He watched her face closely. Waited for the backlash and welcomed it. He missed the way her eyes would ignite during their bouts. He was not prepared for the remorse that flashed there in its stead.

She seemed to be trying to gather her thoughts before she ran her fingers through her now back to illustrious golden hair before taking a steadying breath and meeting his eyes evenly. "I know. I know but even you have to admit, this," gesturing around them with an almost sarcastic quality, "is not within my comfort zone. I am a busy body. My body likes to be busy. I've already read all the books Levy left me and I finished writing my book. Did you know there are exactly 263 DVD's available to us to watch and none of them are from this millenia? And don't get me started on fact that I'm one hundred and ten percent sure a mouse scurried across my brillo pad of a blanket this morning."

Her floodgates had broken. The business heiress was a social creature and she was going stir crazy. Not that the stunned male would have complained if he could have interjected her tirade but here he was, leaning back on the little butcher block island but still very much in her personal space, watching the animated way she spoke with not only her hands but her whole body. She had always been expressive, almost painfully so but this was the first time she had spoken more than a few well-pointed jabs in his direction aside from the trip here and that wasn't exactly his favorite time spent with the blonde. This was almost too much as he blinked at her, his arms still firm over his chest.

She was currently wielding a wooden spoon, waving the thing around like a madwoman as the wrinkles between her brows eased and a smile curled across her face. "I've been dying to move the furniture around too. I think if we move that horrible springy couch into the bedroom and then move the daybed out to the den, we could make it way more comfortable for when we have movie marathons. Although, I will be sending a frickin' messenger owl HP style to get some softer blankets."

Cobra came to the conclusion that she was actually completely mad.

"I hope you like muffins. I found this recipe in one of the cook books under the island and did you know we have a whole _cellar_ of food stuffs? I miss fresh fruit and veggies but I certainly am not gonna complain if it means I get blueberry muffins." Suddenly she stilled and the deep chocolate of her eyes turned molten as she whispered excitedly, "They're done."

In a flurry of motion and steam, he looked down at her bent over form as she pulled the golden brown baked perfection. One benefit of letting her roast them out was her lack of layers, especially in the kitchen. The faded jeans she wore looked like they were painted on her legs and the loose fabric of her shirt rode up any time she raised her arms to reveal glimpses of creamy skin. A slow torture the male was more than willing to bare.

"The next batch is cinnamon streusel. The recipe was handwritten and it looked pretty old so hopefully gramma mountain muffin knew what she was doing." Lucy had yet to take the oven mitts off as her hand curl around to rest on her hip and she used the hand to fan her creations. The intoxicating smell of fresh blueberry muffins wafted and filled the small space enough to make Cobra's mouth water.

"I know why I'm up here, Erik. I don't see why you needed to come with me." Her voice was quiet as she put her next batch in. She was put up here for her own protection at the joint requests of both Fairy Tail and Levy. Not that she was given much more reasoning than that but still, Cobra surely had a life and better things to do than be here with her as a glorified babysitter.

He heard the silent question she was really asking and he agreed with her wholeheartedly. Laxus and he had a very select few words over it. "Oracion Seis is looking for me as well and for some reason that put me in the damsels in distress club on top of bumblefuck mountain."

She choked on her laughter at his obvious disdain for the situation but she just couldn't take it personally. "Well I'm glad you're here, I need your man muscles. That couch isn't going to move itself!" Her overly sweet singsong should have made him cringe but it only served to quirk one side of his lips up as he followed the hypnotic sway of her hips to the living room.

XxXxXxXxXxX

They both fell back exhausted from having to maneuver what had to be the only couch on earth made entirely from lead. They were both drenched in sweat and Cobra had long since shed his heavy coat and even pulled the top of his hair back out of his face in an effort to keep the sweaty locks out of his eye.

His voice was edged with venom as he rubbed his temples, "Never again, Tink. The couch stays here. I want my ashes spread across this ungodly piece of hell-trash for a boost with my boy Satan when I finally descend."

Her arms flopped above her head as she breathed out, exhausted from the heavy lifting, "Only if you promise the same for me. Part of me wants to burn it but I have this fear that the lead skeleton would probably come to life and crush me. Maniacal laughter and monocle firmly in place."

He turned his head to stare at her with his brows furrowed at the mental picture he just got from her, his mouth drawn into a frown. "Monocle? Where in the hell do you picture a monocle on a couch?"

Her shoulders visibly deflated before she shrugged and pointed aimlessly without even looking, "I dunno...right here? Yeah, right there. Good place for an evil form of eye corrective lenses."

Raising a brow, he deadpanned back to the buxom beauty. "You are pointing to the back of the couch."

With a dismissive wave of her hand, she put minimal effort in her response. "Mhmm."

His amethyst eye narrowed in annoyance. "That doesn't make any sense."

"And we're talking about a satanic couch wearing a monocle. Where, in your so educated and high and mighty head, do you picture the monocle on the satanic couch? If you would so share your knowledge with the less fortunate."

He rolled his eye to stare at the ceiling. "I myself don't feed into the monocle trope. I much prefer good villainous facial hair. The more ridiculous, the more evil."

She nodded in agreeance before posing a counterpoint, "What about the opposite spectrum though? Plenty of chrome domes for the side of evil."

"That has nothing to do with beards and mustaches."

Giving him an even look, she backpedaled, "What about the opposite spectrum though? Plenty of chrome domes with bald lips and naked chins for the side of evil."

"I see your point, but that would be making the broad assumption that all those with facial hair are in some way, shape or form evil at the root and only those with facial hair can be evil. Elementary, my dear."

She let out a few quiet chuckles before rolling on her side and propping her head up on her palm. "All right, let's get the very light daybed out into the den and then movie marathons can commence. Let's go, muscles!"

He let out a groan of protest before he was being pulled upright against his will. His voice was snide but the faint remnants of a smile ghosted his lips, "Are you sure I'm the muscles of the operation?"

The maroon-headed man wasn't expecting the cheeky wink or the little 'Wendy the Welder' pose, but both had him staring openly at the blonde. "I think that says more about you than it does me now get over here. We're almost done."

Once again, he found himself following the dangerous curves of his forced roommate towards a piece of large furniture with sights set on moving it.

Thankfully, Lucy wasn't kidding when she said the daybed was light. The frame was aluminum and it really wasn't that big. Which lead her to her next predicament. The couch was the only piece of furniture in the den aside from an ancient chair that literally wouldn't budge from its sentry-like position facing the front door and she really wasn't thinking about the semantics of having to share the daybed with Cobra. So in a heated rush, she spun around under the roose of grabbing the spare pillows and blankets while he picked out the first movie, completely ignorant of her little predicament.

The problem wasn't that she didn't want to share the damn thing, no quite the opposite and _that_ was the root of her problem. How was she supposed to practically cuddle with the man she had almost involuntary bodily reactions to while he continued to go out of his way to let her know he was not interested. He was in it for his own amusement, something she seemed to be content with letting happen. Lucy didn't date for multiple reasons; the most obvious being her insane work schedule but there was also the fact that she was an intimidating force of nature on paper. Taking her father's business over at the age of 20 and working tirelessly for years to get it to where it is now didn't exactly attract the right kind of male attention. Mira and Levy have set up blind dates and parties to get her out there, even going so far as to set her up with Gajeel's policeman younger brother, Rogue, which wasn't a total disaster until you take into account that he was painfully and obviously in love with his partner, Sting. Then there was Dan. The shudder that wracked her body just by thinking his name was enough of a tell for the blonde to move on to the next dating disaster; the time she thought older men were the way to go and ended up in bed with Cana's father. Not that she knew it at the time, but still.

She was planted on the edge of her own mattress, lost in thought when she heard the familiar static that meant Cobra had turned the television on and put his selection in. She quickly gathered as many pillows as she could carry before flopping them down on the daybed and going to the kitchen, calling behind her with what she hoped sounded like a polite passing question, "Did you want anything from the kitchen?"

Glancing over her shoulder, she took in the sight of his t-shirt clad frame bent over the tv stand. She really had been avoiding looking at him since they got here and it really was a shame as she watched, enraptured by the way the tight, sinuous muscles of his arms and shoulders flexed. "A muffin. And coffee, black with at least five spoons of sugar." There was a beat before he amended, "Actually, bring all the muffins."

His voice was coarse in a way that sent a wave of pleasure through her senses and she had to refocus on the task at hand. Muffins, coffee, and hot chocolate for herself. Try not to think about how sexy he looked with his hair back or the way he filled out his black jeans. How could you not though, with the sharp, enticing features that draw you in like a snake. Okay, enough, woman. Coffee, hot chocolate and muffins.

When she finally returned, he had made himself a throne from the pillows and was sitting with a very smug look on his face. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she balanced the tray of drinks, the muffins piled high on a platter in the center. "What's got you so happy?"

"You are about to watch one of cinemas great masterpieces." Another pause left Lucy staring at his features again. "And though I lost an eye, I am not blind. Little miss pervert."

Her jaw dropped as a cherry red blush spread down her face at being caught.

"Don't get your panties in a wad, Tink. You're only mortal after all." Lucy didn't think his face could get anymore smug as he put his hands behind his head but as it turns out, she was wrong.

Thankfully, the movie started playing and the blonde focused on the screen, grabbing a blueberry muffin to munch on. Maybe it would still the seizing butterflies in her stomach.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

She sat blinking at the screen as the light blinked out, an uncomfortable silence filling the cabin.

"You- That was-" She turned to face him with her features twisted in disbelief. "You're fucking with me."

His brow raised smoothly before putting one hand behind his head and the other absently grabbing another cinnamon muffin. "What _ever_ do you mean?"

Her eyes narrowed. "There is no possible way that _that_ is your favorite movie."

An amethyst eye rolled as he peeled the paper from his baked good. "It's not my 'favorite movie'. I said it was one of cinemas great masterpieces, which I still stand by."

"No. No, you're totally messing with me." There was a finality of her voice that had Cobra staring at her over his muffin before he lowered it, annoyance flashing behind his eye, and cleared his throat.

"That is widely known as one of the greatest romances of all time but it's just a series of horrible events, one right after the other, centered around a main character that isn't even remotely likeable and in the end, they don't even end up together. And it's _still_ known as one of the greatest romances of all time. I happen to like when bad things happen to other people and I like realistic endings. The fact that the mass population is stupid enough to idolize it never fails to bring a smile to my face and warm, fuzzy feelings in my chest where my heart should be."

She continued to stare in disbelief.

When she finally found her voice again, she practically hissed out, "Gone with the Wind is a classic."

"I agree," he offered genuinely. "A morbid classic with a morose plot and an unhappy ending. Genius."

"Ugh, it's worse because I can't even argue it really," she huffed as she flopped backwards, the material of her shirt bunching to reveal the smooth planes of her hips. Cobra's gaze immediately centered on the delectable patch of creamy skin and then up at her pleasantly distracted face. Realizing he was leaning closer to her, he moved his attention back to the muffin in his hand. Nothing good was going to come from being in the mountains with her.

XxXxXxXxXxX

He wasn't wrong. They were stuck up there for another month and a half and they only thing he got from it was a stockholm syndrome type infatuation with the blonde and the worst case of blue balls he's ever had.

When he heard the knock on his door, he ignored it outright. Cobra did not have visitors and no one save a very select few knew where he lived so he went back to his breakfast, taking a sip of his coffee just as his unwanted guest decided knocking wasn't enough and moved to pounding on his door.

Whoever it was, almost made him spill his steaming mug and that just wouldn't do. He mumbled under his breath as he crossed the plush carpet through his living room to get to the foyer, "Who in the actual fuck made this hike?"

To say getting to his home required a hike was a gross understatement. The man lived in the temperate mountains up a path barely wide enough for a car, which had to be ditched miles back in order to cross a series of metal walkways and bridges over the deep crevices sure to claim lives after a single misstep. It took hours to get to his secluded paradise.

When the door opened, Lucy was not expecting to see a sleep-tousled Cobra and what looked to be a massive feline whose bright green eyes bore into her with a malice that reflected it's owner's. He took one look at her and though she was sure she watched something soft flash in his eye, he breezed out, "Not up for this," and slammed the door in a sputtering blonde's face.

He made it about three steps away before the pounding started. Along with yelling. Both of which, he hated. "Don't be an ass, Cobra. I need your help! I just scaled a mountain for you and all you have to say is 'not up for this'?! What is wrong with you? I got stuck in the airport before I even got up this damn thing. Have you ever gotten trapped in an airport? It's not fun, I can tell you that. Bunch of weirdos lurking around...I haven't slept in two days! You've got to give me _something!_ -"

"You're going to wake my neighbors." His voice was a drawn out croon through the door.

"I'll do more than wake your nonexistent neighbors, you selfish piece of-" before she could finish, there was a low growl from behind her that decidedly cut her tirade off. The blonde took a deep breath before closing her eyes, picturing the worst and turning around slowly. Cracking one eye open, Lucy had to clamp her hands over her mouth at the sight of a very large and very real mountain lion doing it's best impression of an agitated mountain lion ready for breakfast.

The beast had started pacing back and forth, shoulders rolling and flexing with pure vicious muscle in front of the steps off his front porch. It was terrifying and fascinating and she was pretty sure her breathing stopped altogether. She hadn't realized she had been backing up until the heel of her boot hit the wood of the front door with a quiet ' _thud'_ making her eyes go wide with horror. Sweat had started to gather on her forehead before she felt a whoosh of air and cool fingers across the nape of her neck, almost releasing the scream that had been building in her chest.

By the time she had been plucked from the porch and realized she was safely inside, she relaxed her death grip on the fabric of Cobra's pants she was clutching enough to get blood flow back to her still tingling fingertips. Her nerves were on fire as her chest started slow heaves as her brain processed what just happened. She also realized that the warmth she was encompassed in, almost instantly soothing her enough to take deeper breaths and relax was from Cobra himself. His arm was banded around her stomach in a tight grasp, his lithe fingers splayed over the bare skin of her side while his nails dug into the skin enough to send a wave of adrenaline jolting through her nerves with her back flush with his obviously well-toned chest by the way his natural inhale and exhale pressed into her further. The way his breath seemed to caress the skin just below her ear had her heart racing for a whole other reason as he spoke to her, his voice rough and low, "You have thirty seconds to tell me why you're here before a throw you back outside, Tink."

Her brain was going a mile a minute and her mouth was opening and closing at such a rapid pace, she was sure the thing would just fall off. There were entirely too many things going on around her and she could not focus to save her life, ironically. "That was a- Why are you here- what is this place- Is that normal?!"

His pinky started wandering over the skin covering her hips, sending a shiver down her back as he drawled casually, "Time's runnin' out and I know Shiro would be more than happy to have a new plaything."

She blinked repeatedly before prying his arm from her body and twisting around to face him, determination lighting a fire in her belly as she gritted out through clenched teeth, "I am here because you are the only person I trust to get this done and done right."

He sneered at the haughty woman intruding in on his home. "Whatever it is, I'm out. Nothing is worth leaving this house and don't think you can try to sweet talk me into helping you out of the goodness of my heart. It won't work. I just got here myself and I'm. Not. Leaving."

They glared at each other for a few tense minutes before a large fluffy animal rubbed along the black material of her leggings, leaving an alarming amount of fur in its wake.

Lucy was blinking up at the ceiling, praying that when she looked down she would see a dog. A regular, normal dog, but when she lowered her gaze, she was instead greeted by the most adorable little floof of a cat with tufts of black fur at the tops of their ear, a short bobbed tail and enough hair on their jowls to make her want to run her fingers through it. Without thought, she knelt down and offered the back of her hand, her voice a quiet coo as she forgot everything save the adorable lynx in front of her, "Hello sweet baby. Who are you? You are so pretty. Yes, you are. Such a handsome boy."

Cobra just rolled his eyes as he watched the cat melt into the blonde, knocking her clean of her feet before flopping on top of her giggling form. Running a hand through his hair, he conceded to the woman for now. "Lucy, meet Kovu."

It wasn't until she paused her impromptu cuddle session that she realized that he had completely walked away from her and she was left sitting up in the middle of the most amazing home she's ever been in. Not that you would think so from the outside, but the whole thing is massive. High ceilings with twisting walkways, ropes and what appeared to be hammocks hanging here and there, live greenery everywhere. It was like he brought the outside in while managing to keep the living aspects of it clean and classy with a lot of leather, stainless steel and wood. If her current company was any indication, there was a lot she didn't know about Cobra. She actually had to break into Laxus' desk to get the information on his home in the remote, snow-peaked mountains. Looking down and rubbing Kovu's ear once more, she stood before asking the cat, her face screwed into mock confidence, "What are the odds he'll throw me back out to the lion?"

Kovu let out a grunt of a noise before walking through the grand space, looking back as if to summon the little awed blonde.

When she finally laid eyes on her unwilling host, synapses were connected faster than she wanted. He was wearing a set of very luscious looking silk pajamas, matching house slippers and a silky robe wrapped around his frame loosely and for some reason, his lack of interest in her, the house and the pj's all screamed "hello, I enjoy the company of other men" and it was like she had been punch in the gut the moment after taking a breath of fresh air. She could relax around him knowing it wasn't likely but that didn't change the fact that she had been pining for the man for longer than she'd like to admit.

His usual acerbic tone brought her crashing back to reality, "How did you get my address?"

Sliding right back into the casualness that living in such close quarters brought the pair, the two moved around the other getting mugs and sugar, spoons and cream, completely oblivious to the way they worked in tandem as the blonde rambled brightly, "Funny story that, I uh...procured the address to your super secret mountain lair- Where's your frying pan?"

Turning to give her an icy, incredulous look, his voice was careful and drawled, "Why do you need my frying pan?"

"I'm going to make breakfast. It's the least I can do for barging in and you just saved my life."

Taking her hands and leading her away from his kitchen and to the table looking out over the striking geography, the man was at his end. "No, the least you could do is leave and would you look at that, that would also be the most you could do. So tell me why you're here so you can go."

Completely ignoring his words and twisting out of his grip, much to his simultaneous chagrin and oddly, arousal, to head back to his kitchen to go about exactly what she was doing before, this time succeeding in finding his frying pan _and_ his radio before turning it on only to have his favorite italian pianist and composer play through the speakers. Thinking he surely got the too bright woman with his melancholy instrumentals, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to tire of the situation all the while wondering why Kovu was trailing between her legs like a kitten when the lynx barely tolerated him on a good day.


End file.
